Automotive Industry
Rivian to Build Supplier Park in Illinois
The development will create hundreds of manufacturing jobs.
Rivian’s factory is one of a handful of facilities in North America that only produce electric vehicles. Photo courtesy Rivian Automotive Inc.
NORMAL, IL—Rivian Automotive Inc. is constructing a supplier park in near its assembly plant here. The electric vehicle manufacturer expects key suppliers to locate in the park, which will make delivery of parts and materials to the plant more efficient. More suppliers in the area also means additional jobs in the area, including nearly 100 direct Rivian jobs.
“We are excited to see this supplier park coming together so quickly,” said Rivian founder and CEO, R.J. Scaringe. “This will be a key enabler to increasing production at the plant in 2026, when we start to build the R2 in addition to the R1 and our commercial vans.”
A subset of Rivian’s suppliers are expected to perform light assembly and manufacturing on site at the supplier park. Rivian employees at the supplier park will kit and sequence the parts, which will then be moved to the main plant. Rivian will construct an underground tunnel between the supplier park and the main plant that will ensure efficient operations while avoiding increased traffic on local roads.
The State of Illinois is supporting the project with a comprehensive incentives package to offset start-up costs and certain infrastructure improvements, as well as tax credits tied to the creation of good-paying jobs.
The Town of Normal is also making road improvements and helping offset the cost of running utility infrastructure to the new supplier park site with future tax reimbursements.
Rivian builds all of its electric vehicles at the plant in Normal, including the R1S all-electric SUV, R1T all-electric truck, Amazon electric delivery van (EDV) and the Rivian Commercial Van.
In addition to the 1.2 million square foot supplier park, construction is well underway for the 1.1 million square foot expansion of the plant for R2 manufacturing. R2 production is expected to begin in 2026.Looking for quick answers on assembly and manufacturing topics? Try Ask ASM, our new smart AI search tool. Ask ASM
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